The Official Publication of the Cloud Kings R/C Club Charter Club # 579 August 2006 Before You Solo! By Henry Bohe I want to address this article to the members of our club who are relatively new to R/C or just learning to fly, and to anyone else who may find food for thought. As members of the AMA we take upon ourselves the obligations to promote and further the interest in R/C flying. One of the ways we do this is by helping those who are just starting out in the hobby to learn to fly. We give freely of our time, talents and experiences to try to make their indoctrination as pleasant and enjoyable as possible, with the hope that they will develop the same enthusiasm and appreciation for the hobby that we all share. Those who are just starting out incur obligations as well. Those obligations are: To gain as much knowledge about the hobby as they possibly can. To be prepared when they come out to the field. To know the rudimentary procedures necessary to charge their equipment batteries, fuel the plane and have it flight worthy. Inside this issue: Membership and Coming Events How does one gain all this new required knowledge to meet their obligations you ask? I don t know of anyone in the club who wouldn t freely impart of their wisdom and experience if asked. There are scores of publications on the basics of R/C available online or in paperback. The point I m trying to make is that learning to fly safely and enjoyably requires more than being shown how to control the aircraft. It requires a commitment by the student to learn the basics. Being prepared before you come out to the field will allow your instructor more time to teach you the really important stuff, such as how to answer the question What happened, when you ve had an unscheduled landing somewhere else instead of on the runway. 1 Float Fly 2 Member Project 3 Training Update 3 Members on Safety 4 For Sale 4 Membership Last Meeting Please welcome the following new members: Morris Hess Andrew King Bruce Ginn Prospective members: Martin Zeller, Bob Evangilista sponsored by Mark McQuaide Upcoming Events Next Meeting: Aug 8, 7:30 PM at West Field Club Picnic- will be held on September 9 at West Field. Sale/Auction- February 10, 2007
By Bill Vandenberg This year a Float Fly was held July 8 th at the home of Derek and Elvie Roberts near Chesapeake City, Maryland. The weather was perfect, the water was nearly like glass, and the food and company was excellent! Club members present were: Float Fly Dale s first flight attempt ended shortly after lifting off the water when the airplane was slow and dropped a wing from which recovery was impossible. His aircraft took on water after the dunking, and his throttle servo was immersed and died. Better luck next time Dale! I didn t fare any better. After many take-off attempts, (it made a fine boat), the Easy Two broke free from the water. It then started a hard left turn caused by me not checking the aileron trim before I flew. Full flawless. Final flight tally was; Newbies 0, Old Salt 4. I plan on building another float plane, probably a Seamaster or a Mariner 40, and returning to the Robert s home either late this summer or next year. Myself, Bob Fling, Ray Crowley, Dale Adams, Mack Graham and of course Derek, Peter, and Casey Roberts. (Forgive me if I missed anyone). Also present were most of the club member s wives as well as some of Derek s relatives. The total was around 25 people. The flying site was the inlet behind Derek s home, with an elevated deck and screened in porch for the observers. right aileron stick brought it back to level flight, but I was low and slow. The airplane flew behind a tree and when it emerged it was 5 to 10 feet above the water in a shallow left turn. SPLASH! The damage was confined to one float, which Derek graciously repaired for me. Derek was able to get my bird off the water again, but that ended exactly like Dale s attempt. Two down. Derek and Elvie were fantastic hosts and the hamburgers and hotdogs were cooked to perfection. Thank you so much for an enjoyable day. I encourage all Cloud King members to attend next year s event and try your hand at seaplane flying. It s harder than it looks! Three members brought aircraft to fly. I brought an Easy 2,.40 size trainer on GP floats. Dale Adams had an amphibian and Derek and Peter flew a.40 size Seamaster amphibian. Unfortunately, Dale and I both had trouble getting off the water. Then Pete Roberts showed us all how it was done! He flew his Seamaster many times and his flying was Page 2
Training Update The following individuals have completed the training requirements set by the Cloud Kings that allow them to fly solo. Joe Hoopes, of Oxford, has been a member for some time but unable to get out to the field. Congratulations Joe. John Hoopes, new to the club and sponsored by Joe, has had previous flying experience and just needed stick time to refresh his skills. Congratulations John. Member Project I ve had my interested sparked lately by my recent visit to the Warbirds Over Delaware show with a fellow member Dave Hall, and my wife Marion. Since I am an Air Force veteran and continue to have a love for warbirds, I have been studying ways to convince the wife that I need one of these birds in my hanger. Now, a couple of weeks since the event the little bit of drool went away, as did the urgency of owning another plane to care for. Until! one evening at West Filed I suddenly overheard someone say check out the back of my truck! rushing around to finish what I was doing I hurried over to discover this Page 3 brand new F4U Corsair in Darrens truck. Darren Kuaffman is who I am Bill Vandenberg came to the rescue to aid Darren with setup. A few minor trim adjustments in the computer radio, small adjustments to that powerful 4 stroke engine, CG check, retract check, and ready for take-off. Although the preflight check went well somehow the engine cowl speaking of and most of us recognize the plane. This one is a Hanger 9 ARF, 60-90 size that Darren powered up with a 1.00 Saito. Since it is a good idea if you can, to have someone check out your work, disappeared. Onward with the flight check and I watched carefully as this plane flew since, you know, I really like warbirds. The take off roll had more than enough power, she leveled out and purred like a kitten right up to the landing. She was very forgiving during approach and hung almost to the end of the runway. Congratulations Darren, and many happy flying hours.
Thoughts on Safety While at the field one evening I asked a few of the guys to share their thoughts on safety and what is important to them, and below are some thoughts. Mike Denest, Keep your Eyes and ears open Bob Fling, To me, propellers are a deep concern. Observers need to stay behind the fence as the rules state. This important because propellers do fail and as pilots are running there engines on the plane staging stands, this is where, if prop failure occurs, it would be nearest the spectators. For the pilots, be cautious of the plane of rotation, stay clear of it during engine runs, and insure assistants stay clear as well. Be cautious of the prop while removing the glow starter or making engine adjustments. I recommend painting the prop tips a highly visible color like white or yellow. Darren Kauffman, Loose clothing is my concern, during some cooler weather when you put on that long sleeve shirt in the evening, and don t button it up, or don t tuck the tail in, beware as a running engine will pull it right in as soon as you lean over to disconnect the glow starter or make an adjustment Items For Sale 1. Cessna Skymaster, Royal Kit. Framed-up, needs to be completed. 2. 27% CAP 232. Midwest. 80 WS. Framed-up, needs to be completed 3. 25% CAP 232 ARF. Extreme Aircraft. 73 WS NIB Beautiful aircraft. 4. Somthin Extra ARF. Sig. NIB Call Henry Bohe 610-857-5669 if you have any interest. or email hmbohe@comcast.net Page 4
Just a Little More Some people just can t wait for the weather to clear. Donnie Barnett, with his Super Stunt Stick came out and waited for the storm to clear. I must confess I was present myself. Wet grass built up on the wing so bad that I was on the borderline of loosing lift. Fortunately I realized something was amiss and landed. We all had a good time though. Come on out and join the fun!. Sudoku Page 5